Apparatus for traveling assistance and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an apparatus for driver assistance. The disclosed apparatus includes a camera that is mounted on a vehicle, is provided to have a field of view outside the vehicle, and provides image data; and a control unit that identifies lane marks on a road surface and a road marking between the lanes based on processing the image data, provides lane information and marking information, and provides a traveling assist deceleration signal for controlling a braking device of the vehicle based on the lane information and the marking information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2022-0096626, filed on Aug. 3, 2022 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus fortraveling assistance capable of controlling the braking of a vehicleaccording to identification of road markings displayed on a road surfaceand a control method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

A driver assistance system provided in a vehicle performs variousfunctions for the convenience and safety of a driver. For example, adriver assistance system may detect a preceding or following vehicle andwarn of a collision. In addition, the driver assistance system mayinclude an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that autonomouslyperforms emergency braking in a case where a collision with anotherobject (for example, a person or another vehicle) is expected. In a casewhere a collision with another object is expected, the driver assistancesystem first warns the driver that there is a risk of collision.However, in a case where the driver does not brake despite the warning,the driver assistance system autonomously performs emergency braking.

Various road markings for inducing safe driving are displayed on a roadsurface. For example, a road marking displayed on a road surface mayindicate that there is a crosswalk ahead or that lanes are merging.However, many drivers do not exactly know the meaning of road markingsdisplayed on the road surface. As many drivers ignore the road markingsand drive, there is a problem that a risk of collision with anotherobject increases.

SUMMARY

Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a systemcapable of generating a traveling assist deceleration signal for brakingof a vehicle and changing a warning timing related to autonomousemergency braking (AEB) according to identification of road markingsdisplayed on a road surface, and a control method thereof.

Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows and, in part, will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided an apparatus for traveling assistance including a cameramounted on a vehicle, provided to have a field of view outside thevehicle, and configured to provide image data; and a control unitconfigured to identify lane marks on a road surface and a road markingbetween the lane marks based on processing the image data, provide laneinformation and marking information, and provide a traveling assistdeceleration signal for controlling a braking device of the vehiclebased on the lane information and the marking information.

The control unit may provide the traveling assist deceleration signalbased on identifying a diamond-shaped marking indicating a presence of acrosswalk ahead or an inverted triangle marking recommending yielddriving in the marking information.

The control unit may change a warning timing related to AEB to a secondwarning timing that is earlier than a predetermined first warning timingaccording to the generation of the marking information and control adisplay of the vehicle such that the display outputs a notificationmessage for notifying a change in the warning timing.

The control unit may identify at least one of a pedestrian or anothervehicle in a caution area within a predetermined distance from aposition of the road marking based on processing the image data andcontrol the display such that the display outputs a warning messagerelated to the AEB at the second warning timing in response to theidentification of at least one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle.

The control unit may change the warning timing back to the predeterminedfirst warning timing based on the vehicle having passed through thecaution area.

The control unit may provide an autonomous emergency braking signalbased on a collision with at least one of the pedestrian or the othervehicle being predicted after the output of the warning message.

The control unit may determine a crosswalk area, a lane merging area, oran intersection area as the caution area.

The system may further include a radar provided to have a sensing areaoutside the vehicle and provides radar data, and the control unit mayfurther use the radar data to detect at least one of the pedestrian orthe other vehicle.

The control unit may control the display such that the display outputsthe notification message including at least one of text or a graphicelement.

The control unit may control a speaker of the vehicle such that thespeaker outputs a voice notification message for notifying a change inthe warning timing.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a method controlling an apparatus for traveling assistanceincluding: acquiring image data by a camera that is mounted on a vehicleand provided to have a field of view outside the vehicle; identifyinglane marks on a road surface and a road marking between the lane marksbased on processing the image data and providing lane information andmarking information; and providing a traveling assist decelerationsignal for controlling a braking device of the vehicle according togeneration of the lane information and the marking information.

The processing of the image data may include identifying adiamond-shaped marking indicating a presence of a crosswalk ahead or aninverted triangle marking recommending yield driving.

The providing of the traveling assist deceleration signal may includechanging a warning timing related to AEB to a second warning timing thatis earlier than a predetermined first warning timing according to thegeneration of the marking information, and the method may furtherinclude controlling a display such that the display outputs anotification message for notifying a change in the warning timing.

The processing of the image data may include identifying at least one ofa pedestrian or another vehicle in a caution area within a predetermineddistance from a position of the road marking, and the controlling of thedisplay may further include outputting a warning message related to theAEB at the second warning timing in response to the identification of atleast one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle.

The changing of the warning timing may include changing the warningtiming back to the predetermined first warning timing after the vehiclepasses through the caution area.

The providing of the traveling assist deceleration signal may includeproviding an autonomous emergency braking signal in a case where acollision with at least one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle ispredicted after the output of the warning message.

The caution area may be determined as a crosswalk area, a lane mergingarea, or an intersection area.

The method may further include acquiring radar data from a radarprovided to have a sensing area toward the surroundings of the vehicle,and detecting at least one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle may beperformed by further using the radar data.

The controlling of the display may include outputting the notificationmessage as at least one of text or a graphic element.

The method may further include controlling a speaker provided inside thevehicle such that the speaker outputs a voice notification message fornotifying a change in the warning timing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent andmore readily appreciated from the following description of theembodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings ofwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a vehicle according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a driver assistance system according toone embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows a camera and radars provided in the vehicle;

FIG. 4 shows a diamond-shaped marking displayed on a road surface;

FIG. 5 shows an inverted triangle marking displayed on a road surface;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which a notification message fornotifying a change in warning timing related to AEB is provided througha display;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which a warning message related to AEBis provided in a case where a collision with another object is expected;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a driverassistance system according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the control method of a driverassistance system described in FIG. 8 in more detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader ingaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses,and/or systems described herein. Accordingly, various changes,modifications, and equivalents of the methods, apparatuses, and/orsystems described herein will be suggested to those of ordinary skill inthe art. The progression of processing operations described is anexample; however, the sequence of and/or operations is not limited tothat set forth herein and may be changed as is known in the art, withthe exception of operations necessarily occurring in a particular order.In addition, respective descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for increased clarity and conciseness.

Additionally, exemplary embodiments will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplaryembodiments may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete and will fully convey the exemplary embodiments to those ofordinary skill in the art. Like numerals denote like elementsthroughout.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another. As used herein, the term “and/or,” includes anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected,” or “coupled,” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyconnected,” or “directly coupled,” to another element, there are nointervening elements present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

The expression, “at least one of a, b, and c,” should be understood asincluding only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b andc, or all of a, b, and c.

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeelements throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a vehicle according to one embodiment.FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a driver assistance system according toone embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a vehicle 1 includes an engine 10, a transmission20, a braking device 30, and a steering device 40. The engine 10 maygenerate power for the vehicle 1 to travel. The transmission 20 mayinclude a plurality of gears and may transmit the power generated by theengine 10 to wheels. The braking device 30 may suppress the rotation ofthe wheels. The braking device 30 may decelerate the vehicle 1 or stopthe vehicle 1 through friction with the wheels. The steering device maychange a traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The engine 10 may bereplaced with a motor.

The vehicle 1 may include a plurality of electric components. Forexample, the vehicle 1 may include an engine management system (EMS) 11,a transmission control unit (TCU) 21, an electronic brake control module31, an electronic power steering (EPS) 41, a body control module (BCM)51, an audio video navigation (AVN) device 60, and a driver assistancesystem (DAS) 100.

The EMS 11 may control the engine 10 in response to a driver's intentionto accelerate through an accelerator pedal or a request from the DAS100. For example, the EMS 11 may control the torque of the engine 10.The TCU 21 may control the transmission 20 in response to a driver'sshift command through a shift lever and/or a traveling speed of thevehicle 1. For example, the TCU 21 may adjust a transmission ratio fromthe engine 10 to the wheels. In a case where the vehicle 1 is anelectric vehicle driven by a battery and a motor, the engine 10, thetransmission the EMS 11, and the TCU 21 may be excluded from constituentelements of the vehicle 1.

The electronic brake control module 31 may control the braking device 30in response to a driver's intention to brake through a braking pedaland/or a slip of the wheels. For example, when an anti-lock brakingsystem (ABS) operates, the electronic brake control module 31 maytemporarily release braking of the wheels in response to a slip of thewheels detected when the vehicle 1 is braked. When an electronicstability control (ESC) system operates, the electronic brake controlmodule 31 may selectively release braking of the wheels in response tooversteering and/or understeering detected when the vehicle 1 issteered. In addition, when a traction control system (TCS) operates, theelectronic brake control module 31 may temporarily brake the wheels inresponse to a slip of the wheels detected when the vehicle 1 is driven.

The EPS 41 may assist operation of the steering device 40 such that adriver may easily manipulate a steering wheel in response to a driver'sintention to steer through the steering wheel. For example, the EPS 41may assist operation of the steering device 40 such that the steeringdevice 40 reduces a steering force during low-speed driving or parkingand increases a steering force during high-speed driving.

The BCM 51 may control operations of the electric components thatprovide convenience to the driver or ensure the safety of the driver.For example, the BCM 51 may control head lamps, wipers, a cluster,multi-function switches, and direction indicator lamps.

The AVN device 60 may be provided in a center fascia of the vehicle 1.The AVN device 60 may include a display and an audio device. Further,speakers installed in a dashboard and doors of the vehicle 1 may beunderstood to be included in the AVN device 60. The display may output ascreen, and the audio device may output sound. The display may display agraphical user interface (GUI) capable of interacting with a user.

The display of the AVN device 60 may be a light emitting diode (LED)panel, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, or a liquid crystaldisplay panel.

The AVN device 60 may include various input buttons. Further, thedisplay of the AVN device 60 may include a touch panel. The AVN device60 may execute various functions based on a user command input throughthe input buttons or the touch panel. For example, the AVN device 60 mayperform a navigation function, a DMB function, an audio function, and/ora video function.

The DAS 100 may assist the driver in manipulating (driving, braking,and/or steering) the vehicle 1. For example, the DAS 100 may detect anenvironment around the vehicle 1 (for example, other vehicles,pedestrians, cyclists, lane marks, road markings, road signs, and thelike) and may control the driving, braking, and/or steering of thevehicle 1 in response to the detected environment.

The DAS 100 may provide various assistance functions. For example, theDAS 100 may provide a lane departure warning (LDW) function, a lanekeeping assist (LKA) function, a lane following assist (LFA) function, ahigh beam assist (HBA) function, an AEB function, a traffic signrecognition (TSR) function, a smart cruise control (SCC) function,and/or a blind spot detection (BSD) function.

The above electric components may communicate with each other through avehicle communication network NT. For example, the electric componentsmay transmit and receive data via Ethernet, media oriented systemstransport (MOST), Flexray, a controller area network (CAN), and/or alocal interconnect network (LIN). For example, the DAS 100 may transmita braking signal and a steering signal to the electronic brake controlmodule 31 and the EPS 41 through the vehicle communication network NT.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the DAS 100 may include a camera 110, an imageprocessor 111, a front radar 120, a corner radar 130, an AEB system 140,a display 150, a speaker 160, and an integrated control unit 200. Theintegrated control unit 200 may be electrically connected to the DAS 100and the constituent elements of the vehicle 1 and may control theconstituent elements.

Each of the camera 110, the front radar 120, the corner radar 130, andthe AEB system 140 may include an electronic control unit (ECU). Theintegrated control unit 200 may include the ECU of the camera 110, theECU of the front radar 120, the ECU of the corner radar 130, and the ECUof the AEB system 140.

The camera 110 may photograph a view from the front of the vehicle 1 andacquire image data. The camera 110 may be mounted on a windshield (frontglass) of the vehicle 1. The image processor 111 may process the imagedata to identify objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists,lane marks, road markings, road structures, and road signs. The camera110 may include a plurality of lenses and an image sensor. The imagesensor may include a plurality of photodiodes that convert light intoelectrical signals, and the plurality of photodiodes may be disposed ina two-dimensional matrix.

The camera 110 may be electrically connected to the image processor 111.For example, the camera 110 may be connected to the image processor 111through the vehicle communication network NT, a hard wire, and/or aprinted circuit board (PCB). The camera 110 may transmit the image dataof the view from the front of the vehicle 1 to the image processor 111.The image processor 111 may be electrically connected to the integratedcontrol unit 200.

The front radar 120 and the corner radar 130 may each acquire radardata.

The integrated control unit 200 may process the radar data to detectrelative positions and relative speeds of objects around the vehicle 1(for example, other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and the like). Thefront radar 120 and the corner radar 130 may be connected to theintegrated control unit 200 through the vehicle communication networkNT, a hard wire, or a printed circuit board. The radars may beimplemented as lidars.

In addition, various sensors may be provided in the vehicle 1. Forexample, the vehicle 1 may include a speed sensor for detecting a speed,a yaw rate sensor for detecting a change in angular velocity, a gyrosensor for detecting an inclination, and/or a steering angle sensor fordetecting the rotation and steering angle of a steering wheel.

The AEB system 140 may autonomously perform emergency braking in a casewhere a collision with another object (for example, a person or anothervehicle) is expected while the vehicle 1 is traveling. The DAS 100 mayfirst warn the driver that there is a risk of collision in a case whereanother object is present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1(for example, an area in front of the vehicle or a lateral area in frontof the vehicle). However, in a case where the driver does not brake atan appropriate timing despite the warning, the DAS 100 may control theAEB system 140 such that the AEB system 140 autonomously performsemergency braking.

The display 150 may be provided at various positions inside the vehicle1. For example, the display 150 may be provided in a cluster, a centerfascia, and/or a dashboard. The display 150 may display informationrelated to operation of the DAS 100 and/or operation of the vehicle 1.The display 150 may display a GUI capable of interacting with a user.The display 150 may be integrally provided with a touch panel and mayreceive a touch input for manipulating the GUI from a user.

The speaker 160 may output auditory information related to operation ofthe DAS 100 under the control of the integrated control unit 200. Forexample, the speaker 160 may output a voice notification message fornotifying a change in warning timing related to the AEB. In addition,the speaker 160 may output a warning sound for notifying that attentionshould be paid to the front in relation to the AEB.

The integrated control unit 200 may include a processor 210 and a memory220. In addition, the integrated control unit 200 may include one ormore processors 210. The one or more processors 210 included in theintegrated control unit 200 may be integrated into one control circuitor physically separated. Further, the processor 210 and the memory 220may be implemented as a single chip.

The processor 210 may process the image data processed by the imageprocessor 111, the front radar data from the front radar 120, and thecorner radar data from the corner radar 130. In addition, the processor210 may generate a braking signal for controlling the braking device 30and an AVN signal for controlling the AVN device 60. The processor 210may generate control signals for controlling the DAS 100 and theconstituent elements of the vehicle 1.

The memory 220 may store data to be processed by the image processor 111and the processor 210, and programs, software, applications, and/orinstructions to be executed by the processor 210. For example, thememory 220 may store programs and/or data for processing the image dataand/or the radar data. Further, the memory 220 may store programs and/ordata for the processor 210 to generate control signals related to theDAS 100 and the components of the vehicle 1.

The memory 220 may temporarily store the image data received from thecamera 110 and/or the radar data received from the radars 120 and 130.In addition, the memory 220 may temporarily store a result of processingthe image data and/or radar data by the processor 210. The memory 220may include not only volatile memories such as an S-RAM and a D-RAM, butalso non-volatile memories such as a flash memory, a read only memory(ROM), and an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM).

The image processor 111 may identify and distinguish lane marks and aroad marking between the lane marks from the image data acquired fromthe camera 110. The image processor 111 may generate lane informationand marking information based on the identification of the lane marksand the road marking. The road marking may refer to a sign displayed ona road surface to induce deceleration.

The integrated control unit 200 may generate a traveling assistdeceleration signal for controlling the braking device 30 according tothe generation of lane information and marking information. Theintegrated control unit 200 may change the warning timing related to theAEB based on the generation of marking information. The integratedcontrol unit 200 may control the display 150 such that the display 150outputs a notification message for notifying a change in warning timingrelated to the AEB. The notification message may include at least one oftext or a graphic element. In addition, the integrated control unit 200may control the speaker 160 such that the speaker 160 outputs the voicenotification message for notifying a change in warning timing related tothe AEB.

For example, the integrated control unit 200 may generate the travelingassist deceleration signal based on the identification of adiamond-shaped marking indicating the presence of a crosswalk ahead oran inverted triangle marking guiding yield driving in the markinginformation. The braking device 30 may perform braking for decelerationof the vehicle 1 in response to the traveling assist deceleration signaltransmitted from the integrated control unit 200. That is, the DAS 100may reduce the speed of the vehicle 1 to a predetermined safe speed in acase where the road marking is present in front of the vehicle 1.

In addition, the integrated control unit 200 may change the warningtiming related to the AEB to a second warning timing that is earlierthan a predetermined first warning timing according to the generation ofmarking information. The predetermined first warning timing may bedetermined at the time of designing the AEB system 140 or set by thedriver. A time interval between the first warning timing and the secondwarning timing may also be determined at the time of designing the AEBsystem 140 or set by the driver.

The road markings displayed on the road surface are not limited to thediamond-shaped marking and the inverted triangle marking. For example,the marking information may be generated as road markings such as atriangular marking indicating an uphill slope or a zigzag markingindicating an area with frequent accidents are detected.

The image processor 111 may identify at least one of a pedestrian oranother vehicle in a caution area within a predetermined distance fromthe position of the road marking. The caution area may include acrosswalk area, a lane merging area, and/or an intersection area locatedwithin a predetermined distance from the position of the road marking.

The integrated control unit 200 may control the display 150 such thatthe display 150 outputs a warning message at the changed warning timing(that is, the second warning timing) based on detection of at least oneof the pedestrian or the other vehicle in the caution area. The warningmessage may include at least one of text or a graphic element. Theintegrated control unit 200 may further use the radar data acquired fromthe radars 120 and 130 to detect at least one of the pedestrian or theother vehicle.

The integrated control unit 200 may generate an autonomous emergencybraking signal in a case where a collision with at least one of thepedestrian or the other vehicle is predicted after the output of thewarning message. The AEB system 140 may control the braking device 30 tobring the vehicle 1 to a complete stop in response to the autonomousemergency braking signal.

Another object may leave the caution area before the vehicle 1 entersthe caution area. In this case, it may be determined that there is norisk of collision between the vehicle 1 and another object, and thevehicle 1 may pass through the caution area without completely stopping.The integrated control unit 200 may change the warning timing related tothe AEB back to the predetermined first warning timing after the vehicle1 passes through the caution area.

As described above, the disclosed DAS system 100 may generate thetraveling assist deceleration signal when a road marking inducingdeceleration of the vehicle 1 is identified, advance the warning timingrelated to the AEB, and provide the warning message at the advancedtiming when another object is detected in the traveling direction of thevehicle 1. Accordingly, the driver may quickly recognize a collisionrisk situation and may quickly respond to the collision risk situation.In addition, when the change of the warning timing related to the AEB isnotified to the driver, the driver's attention may be improved, and thedriver's sense of discomfort about the change in execution timing of theAEB may be reduced.

FIG. 3 shows the camera and the radars provided in the vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the camera 110 may have a field of view 110 atoward the area in front of the vehicle 1. For example, the camera 110may be installed on a front windshield of the vehicle 1. The camera 110may photograph a view from the front of the vehicle 1 and acquire imagedata of the view from the front of the vehicle 1. The image data of theview from the front of the vehicle 1 may include location informationabout other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, lane marks, or roadmarkings located in front of the vehicle 1.

The front radar 120 may have a sensing area 120 a toward the area infront of the vehicle 1. For example, the front radar 120 may beinstalled on a grill or a bumper of the vehicle 1. The front radar 120may radiate transmission radio waves toward the area in front of thevehicle 1 and receive reflected radio waves reflected from an object.

The front radar 120 may acquire front radar data from the reflectedradio waves. For example, the front radar data may include distanceinformation and speed information about other vehicles, pedestrians, orcyclists located in front of the vehicle 1. The front radar 120 maycalculate a relative distance to the object based on a phase difference(or a time difference) between the transmission radio waves and thereflected radio waves and calculate a relative speed of the object basedon a frequency difference between the transmission radio waves and thereflected radio waves.

The corner radar 130 may include a first corner radar 130-1 installed ona front right side of the vehicle 1, a second corner radar 130-2installed on a front left side of the vehicle 1, and a third cornerradar 130-3 installed on a rear right side of the vehicle 1, and afourth corner radar 130-4 installed on a rear left side of the vehicle1.

The first corner radar 130-1 may have a sensing area 130-1 a toward aright area in front of the vehicle 1. The second corner radar 130-2 mayhave a sensing area 130-2 a toward a left area in front of the vehicle1, the third corner radar 130-3 may have a sensing area 130-3 a toward aright area behind the vehicle 1, and the fourth corner radar 130-4 mayhave a sensing area 130-4 a toward a left area behind the vehicle 1.

Each of the corner radars 130 may include a transmission antenna and areception antenna. The first, second, third, and fourth corner radars130-1, 130-2, 130-3, and 130-4 may acquire first corner radar data,second corner radar data, third corner radar data, and fourth cornerradar data, respectively. The first corner radar data may includedistance information and speed information of an object located in theright area in front of the vehicle 1. The second corner radar data mayinclude distance information and speed information of an object locatedin the left area in front of the vehicle 1. The third and fourth cornerradar data may include distance information and speed information ofobjects located in the right area behind of the vehicle 1 and in theleft area behind of the vehicle 1.

The integrated control unit 200 may identify objects (for example, othervehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, lane marks, road markings, roadstructures, and road signs) in front of the vehicle 1 based on at leastone of front image data of the camera 110 or front radar data of thefront radar 120. The integrated control unit 200 may acquire locationinformation (a distance and direction) and speed information (a relativespeed) of the objects in front of the vehicle 1 based on at least one ofthe front image data of the camera 110 or the front radar data of thefront radar 120. In addition, the integrated control unit 200 mayacquire location information (a distance and direction) and speedinformation (a relative speed) of the objects in the lateral areas (thefront right area, the front left area, the rear right area, and the rearleft area) of the vehicle 1 based on the corner radar data of theplurality of corner radars 130.

FIG. 4 shows a diamond-shaped marking displayed on the road surface.FIG. 5 shows an inverted triangle marking displayed on the road surface.

There are various road markings on the road surface. Road markings aredisplayed on the road surface to provide information to drivers andinduce safe driving. However, many drivers do not exactly know themeaning of road markings displayed on the road surface. Accidents mayoccur as drivers ignore road markings displayed on the road surface anddrive.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a diamond-shaped marking M1 displayed on the roadsurface predicts the presence of a crosswalk ahead. In general, thecrosswalk may be located 60 m behind the diamond-shaped marking M1. Thediamond-shaped marking M1 may be located just before the crosswalk. Thediamond-shaped marking M1 provides a warning to the driver that thevehicle 1 should slow down to watch out for pedestrians.

The image processor 111 of the DAS 100 may identify the diamond-shapedmarking M1 from the image data acquired from the camera 110 and generatemarking information. The integrated control unit 200 may generate atraveling assist deceleration signal based on the marking informationgenerated through the identification of the diamond-shaped marking M1.In addition, the integrated control unit 200 may change the warningtiming related to the AEB to a second warning timing that is earlierthan a predetermined first warning timing based on the generation ofmarking information.

In a case where a pedestrian is identified in the crosswalk area that isa caution area, the integrated control unit 200 may control the display150 such that the display 150 outputs a warning message related to theAEB at the changed (second) warning timing. The integrated control unit200 may change the warning timing related to the AEB back to thepredetermined first warning timing after the vehicle 1 passes throughthe crosswalk area within a predetermined distance from the position ofthe diamond-shaped marking Ml. That is, when the vehicle 1 passesthrough the crosswalk area, the warning timing related to the AEB may bereset to a default value. The default value of the warning timing may bedetermined at the time of designing or set by the driver.

Referring to FIG. 5 , an inverted triangle marking M2 guides a pointwhere lanes merge or a point where lanes narrow. A lane merging area oran intersection area may be present behind the inverted triangle markingM2. In a case where the vehicle 1 is traveling along a lane marked withthe inverted triangle marking M2, it is safe for the vehicle 1 to entera main road or the next lane after another vehicle traveling on the mainroad or the next lane has passed. That is, the inverted triangle markingM2 recommends yield driving.

The image processor 111 of the DAS 100 may identify the invertedtriangle marking M2 from the image data acquired from the camera 110 andgenerate marking information. The integrated control unit 200 maygenerate a traveling assist deceleration signal based on the markinginformation generated through the identification of the invertedtriangle marking M2. In addition, the integrated control unit 200 maychange the warning timing related to the AEB to a second warning timingthat is earlier than a predetermined first warning timing based on thegeneration of marking information.

In a case where another vehicle is identified in the lane merging areathat is a caution area, the integrated control unit 200 may control thedisplay 150 such that the display 150 outputs a warning message relatedto the AEB at the changed (second) warning timing. The integratedcontrol unit 200 may change the warning timing related to the AEB backto the predetermined first warning timing after the vehicle 1 passesthrough the lane merging area within a predetermined distance from theposition of the inverted triangle marking M2.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 , the integrated control unit 200 may generate anautonomous emergency braking signal in a case where a collision betweenat least one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle and the vehicle 1 ispredicted after the output of the warning message. The AEB system 140may control the braking device 30 to bring the vehicle 1 to a completestop in response to the autonomous emergency braking signal. A collisionwith another object may be prevented by emergency braking of the vehicle1.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which a notification message fornotifying a change in warning timing related to the AEB is providedthrough the display. FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which a warningmessage related to the AEB is provided in a case where a collision withanother object is expected.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the integrated control unit 200 of the DAS 100 maycontrol the display 150 such that the display 150 outputs a notificationmessage W1 for notifying a change in warning timing related to the AEB.The notification message W1 may include text such as “an AEB warningtiming has been changed to an earlier time.” In addition, thenotification message W1 may include a graphic element represented by afigure and a symbol. In this way, when the change of the warning timingrelated to the AEB is notified to the driver, the driver's attention maybe improved, and the driver's sense of discomfort about the change inexecution timing of the AEB may be reduced.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the integrated control unit 200 of the DAS 100 maycontrol the display 150 such that the display 150 outputs a warningmessage W2 at the changed warning timing (that is, the second warningtiming) based on detection of at least one of the pedestrian or theother vehicle in the caution area within a predetermined distance fromthe position of the road marking. The warning message W2 may includetext such as ‘caution ahead.’ Further, the warning message W2 mayinclude a graphic element represented by an image, a figure, and asymbol of the object ahead. In this way, the disclosed DAS 100 mayreduce accidents by providing the warning message at the advancedwarning timing when a collision is expected.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a DAS accordingto one embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the control methodof a DAS described in FIG. 8 in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the image processor 111 of the DAS 100 may acquireimage data of the view from the front of the vehicle 1 from the camera110 (810). The image processor 111 may identify and distinguish lanemarks and a road marking between the lane marks from the image dataacquired from the camera 110. The image processor 111 may generate laneinformation and marking information based on the identification of thelane marks and the road marking (820). The road marking may refer to asign displayed on a road surface to induce deceleration. For example,the image processor 111 may identify a diamond-shaped marking indicatingthe presence of a crosswalk ahead or an inverted triangle markingguiding yield driving from the image data.

The integrated control unit 200 may generate a traveling assistdeceleration signal for controlling the braking device 30 according tothe generation of lane information and marking information (830). Thebraking device 30 may perform braking for deceleration of the vehicle 1in response to the traveling assist deceleration signal transmitted fromthe integrated control unit 200. That is, the DAS 100 may reduce thespeed of the vehicle 1 to a predetermined safe speed in a case where theroad marking is present in front of the vehicle 1.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the traveling assist deceleration signal mayinclude a warning timing change signal related to the AEB. The AEBsystem 140 may change the warning timing related to the AEB in responseto the warning timing change signal. The integrated control unit 200 maycontrol the display 150 such that the display 150 outputs a notificationmessage for notifying a change in warning timing related to the AEB.

The integrated control unit 200 may change the warning timing related tothe AEB to a second warning timing that is earlier than a predeterminedfirst warning timing based on the generation of marking information(831). In addition, the integrated control unit 200 may control thedisplay 150 such that the display 150 outputs a notification message fornotifying a change in warning timing related to the AEB (832). A voicenotification message may be output through the speaker 160.

The image processor 111 may detect at least one of a pedestrian oranother vehicle in a caution area within a predetermined distance fromthe position of the road marking (833). The detection of another objectsuch as a pedestrian or another vehicle may be performed using radardata. The integrated control unit 200 may control the display 150 suchthat the display 150 outputs a warning message at the changed warningtiming (that is, the second warning timing) based on detection of atleast one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle in the caution area(834). A voice warning message may be output through the speaker 160.

The integrated control unit 200 may monitor a risk of collision withanother object (835). The integrated control unit 200 may generate anautonomous emergency braking signal in a case where a collision betweenat least one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle and the vehicle 1 ispredicted after the output of the warning message (836). The AEB system140 may control the braking device 30 to bring the vehicle 1 to acomplete stop in response to the autonomous emergency braking signal. Acollision with another object may be prevented by emergency braking ofthe vehicle 1.

Another object may leave the caution area before the vehicle 1 entersthe caution area. In this case, it may be determined that there is norisk of collision between the vehicle 1 and another object, and thevehicle 1 may pass through the caution area without completely stopping.The integrated control unit 200 may change the warning timing related tothe AEB back to the predetermined first warning timing after the vehicle1 passes through the caution area (837, 838).

As described above, the disclosed DAS and control method thereof canidentify and distinguish lane marks and a road marking displayed on aroad surface and generate a traveling assist deceleration signal forcontrolling a braking device of a vehicle according to theidentification of the lane marks and the road marking.

In addition, the DAS and the control method thereof can change thewarning timing related to the AEB according to the identification of thelane marks and the road marking. Therefore, it is possible to inducesafe driving of the driver and reduce the occurrence of an accident.

The disclosed DAS and control method thereof can identify anddistinguish lane marks and a road marking displayed on a road surfaceand generate a traveling assist deceleration signal for controlling abraking device of a vehicle according to the identification of the lanemarks and the road marking.

In addition, the DAS and the control method thereof can change thewarning timing related to the AEB according to the identification of thelane marks and the road marking. Therefore, it is possible to inducesafe driving of the driver and reduce the occurrence of an accident.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been describedabove. In the exemplary embodiments described above, some components maybe implemented as a “module”. Here, the term ‘module’ means, but is notlimited to, a software and/or hardware component, such as a FieldProgrammable Gate Array (FPGA) or Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC), which performs certain tasks. A module mayadvantageously be configured to reside on the addressable storage mediumand configured to execute on one or more processors.

Thus, a module may include, by way of example, components, such assoftware components, object-oriented software components, classcomponents and task components, processes, functions, attributes,procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware,microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays,and variables. The operations provided for in the components and modulesmay be combined into fewer components and modules or further separatedinto additional components and modules. In addition, the components andmodules may be implemented such that they execute one or more CPUs in adevice.

With that being said, and in addition to the above described exemplaryembodiments, embodiments can thus be implemented through computerreadable code/instructions in/on a medium, e.g., a computer readablemedium, to control at least one processing element to implement anyabove described exemplary embodiment. The medium can correspond to anymedium/media permitting the storing and/or transmission of the computerreadable code.

The computer-readable code can be recorded on a medium or transmittedthrough the Internet. The medium may include Read Only Memory (ROM),Random Access Memory (RAM), Compact Disk-Read Only Memories (CD-ROMs),magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and optical recording medium. Also, themedium may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The media mayalso be a distributed network, so that the computer readable code isstored or transferred and executed in a distributed fashion. Stillfurther, as only an example, the processing element could include atleast one processor or at least one computer processor, and processingelements may be distributed and/or included in a single device.

While exemplary embodiments have been described with respect to alimited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having thebenefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments canbe devised which do not depart from the scope as disclosed herein.Accordingly, the scope should be limited only by the attached claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for traveling assistance, theapparatus comprising: a camera mounted on a vehicle, provided to have afield of view outside the vehicle, and configured to provide image data;and a control unit configured to: identify lane marks on a road surfaceand a road marking between the lane marks based on processing the imagedata, provide lane information and marking information, and provide atraveling assist deceleration signal for controlling a braking device ofthe vehicle based on the lane information and the marking information.2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured toprovide the traveling assist deceleration signal based on identifying adiamond-shaped marking indicating a presence of a crosswalk ahead or aninverted triangle marking recommending yield driving in the markinginformation.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit isconfigured to: change a warning timing related to autonomous emergencybraking (AEB) to a second warning timing that is earlier than apredetermined first warning timing according to the generation of themarking information; and control a display of the vehicle such that thedisplay outputs a notification message for notifying a change in thewarning timing.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unit isconfigured to: identify at least one of a pedestrian or another vehiclein a caution area within a predetermined distance from a position of theroad marking based on processing the image data; and control the displaysuch that the display outputs a warning message related to the AEB atthe second warning timing in response to the identification of at leastone of the pedestrian or the other vehicle.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4,wherein the control unit is configured to change the warning timing backto the predetermined first warning timing based on the vehicle havingpassed through the caution area.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4, whereinthe control unit is configured to provide an autonomous emergencybraking signal based on a collision with at least one of the pedestrianor the other vehicle being predicted after the output of the warningmessage.
 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control unit isconfigured to determine a crosswalk area, a lane merging area, or anintersection area as the caution area.
 8. The apparatus of claim 4,further comprising a radar provided to have a sensing area outside thevehicle and configured to provide radar data, wherein the control unitis configured to further use the radar data to detect at least one ofthe pedestrian or the other vehicle.
 9. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the control unit controls the display such that the displayoutputs the notification message including at least one of text or agraphic element.
 10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unitis configured to control a speaker of the vehicle such that the speakeroutputs a voice notification message for notifying a change in thewarning timing.
 11. A method comprising: acquiring image data by acamera that is mounted on a vehicle and provided to have a field of viewoutside the vehicle; identifying lane marks on a road surface and a roadmarking between the lane marks based on processing the image data;providing lane information and marking information; and providing atraveling assist deceleration signal for controlling a braking device ofthe vehicle according to generation of the lane information and themarking information.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the processingof the image data comprises identifying a diamond-shaped markingindicating a presence of a crosswalk ahead or an inverted trianglemarking recommending yield driving.
 13. The method of claim 11, whereinthe providing of the traveling assist deceleration signal compriseschanging a warning timing related to autonomous emergency braking (AEB)to a second warning timing that is earlier than a predetermined firstwarning timing according to the generation of the marking information,and the method further comprises controlling a display such that thedisplay outputs a notification message for notifying a change in thewarning timing.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing ofthe image data comprises identifying at least one of a pedestrian oranother vehicle in a caution area within a predetermined distance from aposition of the road marking, and the controlling of the display furthercomprises outputting a warning message related to the AEB at the secondwarning timing in response to the identification of at least one of thepedestrian or the other vehicle.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein thechanging of the warning timing comprises changing the warning timingback to the predetermined first warning timing after the vehicle passesthrough the caution area.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein theproviding of the traveling assist deceleration signal comprisesproviding an autonomous emergency braking signal in a case where acollision with at least one of the pedestrian or the other vehicle ispredicted after the output of the warning message.
 17. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the caution area is determined as a crosswalk area, alane merging area, or an intersection area.
 18. The method of claim 14,further comprising acquiring radar data from a radar that is provided tohave a sensing area outside the vehicle, wherein detecting at least oneof the pedestrian or the other vehicle is performed by further using theradar data.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling of thedisplay comprises outputting the notification message as at least one oftext or a graphic element. The method of claim 13, further comprisingcontrolling a speaker provided inside the vehicle such that the speakeroutputs a voice notification message for notifying a change in thewarning timing.